Life After Death
by Katarina Smuller
Summary: A woman who had it all has lost it. A new beginning might just be the way to find it all again, but by doing so, she will have to again confront her past. She is more than what meets the eye. Takes place at Hogwarts in the time period between the two wars
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 **

She set down the papers for a moment and rubbed her eyes. In front of her sat a clock with bright, red numbers. 9:38 p.m.

Katherine Williams sat in a sea of cubicles, all of which lights had gone out, except hers. The dark grey walls of the cages were just as depressing as the lives that worked among them. The majority of their prisoners were released at 5:01 p.m. and eagerly went home to their families. Except Katherine Williams. If you were to ask her if she liked her job, she would, without a doubt, tell you that no, she disliked it very much.

Instead, it was her deeply engrained, strong work ethic that kept her there, as well as the absence of a desire to go home. But everyone tires at some point, and the busy bee was ready to head home for the night.

Despite her reluctance to leave, she walked briskly towards her car in the parking lot. Her mind was preoccupied with checking her cell phone and digging in her purse for her keys, but soon her mind cleared. She sensed something. Immediately she stopped completely and cocked her head. She had heard something. She started walking again, slower this time. Soon she was sure. There was someone behind her.

"Need a ride, old man?" Katherine asked out loud, although casual observers wouldn't have seen anyone behind her. For a moment, she wondered if she had also been mistaken.

But soon a deep chuckle could be heard and a man responded in a British accent, "Why yes, that would be splendid!"

Katherine walked over to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for the invisible man. Partly she was being courteous to the older man, but mostly, she was making sure no one nearby would wonder why her car door opened by itself.

As soon as she sat down in the car she asked, "What are you doing around here?"

"Just thought I'd say hello." He had since become visible again and sitting next to the young woman was a much older man. He had long silver grey hair complete with a sizable beard that dangled dangerously close to his chest. The man was wearing unusual clothing, silver grey robes that looked like he'd been abruptly awoken. The look on her face showed that she didn't believe him, but she continued the drive home nevertheless.

"Do you like your job?" He asked conversationally.

"It's alright. It's a job you know? The people I work with are nice, but sometimes it can get a little stressful. But then I just remind myself that I'm not saving lives here. Erm, I mean, you know? It's not like my job is important," She got suck in the middle and stammered her way out. Katherine was in comfortable company, but still, the topic was awkward.

"Well, what were you expecting?" he responded slowly and calmly, not even observing the tension in the car.

"I…err…umm…" her voice started before the mind was ready. The car fell into silence as Katherine realized she didn't know what she had expected.

The car remained silent the remainder of the ride to her apartment. It was awkward for her, but the old man had occupied himself by gazing out the windows and observing the surroundings. He knew about the mood he had created, but this didn't bother him, it was all a part of his plan, of course.

They pulled into the parking lot and walked up the stairs. Katherine opened the door to show a modest two bedroom apartment. The carpet was beige. The walls were beige. The couch was beige. The atmosphere was markedly forgettable. In the corner sat a medium sized, black and white dog, a border collie. Happy to see her owner, the dog trotted over.

"Are you here to see her? Or me?" She asked dropping her purse on the kitchen table and bending down to pet the dog. "Please make yourself at home."

"I'm here to talk to you,"

"Oh. " This surprised her. " Would you like a cup of tea?"

"That would be very nice, thank you," he took a seat at the table and turned his attention to the dog while Katherine made a pot of tea.

She put the pot on the stove and turned around to face the man at the table, "So, what is it?" She asked abruptly. The silence and suspense was killing her.

The hesitancy could be heard in his voice. "I've come to offer you a job."

"Thank you, but I have a job." She replied curtly and turned back around towards the cupboards.

"It's not what you want, we both know that. You're not happy –" He started, but she didn't let him finish.

She placed the cups on the table, "I know what you're offering me, and I left that world years ago, Albus. I'm not so unhappy to turn back there."

He sighed deeply. He would have to go about this another way. She poured the tea and offered sugar. "Thank you. What's the dog's name?"

"Melinda. Got her after, well, got her awhile ago." She sighed. To be in front of her, one would see her demeanor change. The shell that was put on every morning to go into the world and face others was shed off. All of the troubles and hardships she had faced in her life came to the surface and were clearly visible. And they were many. The man knew it, and reached across the table to rest his hand on hers.

"Things have changed," He started, "And we're thinking of starting a new program at Hogwarts for the older students interested in healing. A few classes. Just a few students. Very similar to what you went through at Circe's. Trying to better prepare our students."

"That's a good idea. I had such an advantage in finding a job because of that program"

"We could really use someone who has an intimate knowledge of it."

She looked up from her tea. "Why are you here? Why me? I certainly can't be the only one for the job."

"We had no other applicants,"

"Albus!" An older woman was strolling down the hallway towards the two. She was dressed in a rose pink nightgown with curlers in her hair. "I thought I heard you talking to someone! Oh how are you!" He stood up to great her and she enthusiastically embraced the man. "It's been years since you've come by! Hasn't it hunny? How long do you think it's been Katherine since he's been by? Why didn't you tell me he was here! " The woman looked over to Katherine who had gotten up to turn away from the situation. "Oh tea! Get me a cup will you dear?"

Katherine went to the cupboard for another cup.

"So why are you here Albus? And so late?" She took the man's hand and led him over to the couch where they sat next to each other, "You should have told us you were coming! I could have made you a delicious meal!"

"I came to offer Katherine a job," he explained. He thought about lying, but he knew telling the grandmother would only help his cause.

"OH!" the woman exclaimed before he could even finish. "Oh! Oh! Katherine that's wonderful!" Katherine poured the woman a cup of tea, gave a weak smile, and wondered how vodka would taste in tea. "Oh, a position at Hogwarts! Oh well, that's just wonderful! Oh Albus you're so kind! Came straight here I reckon! And thank goodness you did! She hasn't done a darn thing with her life after… well she really needs this!"

"Thank you Grandmother, but I have kindly refused his offer."

Her grandmother's mood changed instantly. The smile disappeared from her face and was replaced with utter shock, like someone had just told her that the Woollongong Warriors had won the Quidditch cup. "What do you mean, refuse? A position at Hogwarts is a very coveted position! You're very fortunate that Albus came to offer you this! Albus, Albus, don't listen to her!" she patted his hand, "She'd be happy to take this position. Wouldn't you Katherine? Honestly I don't know what you were thinking." And as if the matter had been settled, Edna moved on to more important topics.

"Now what have you been up to Albus? Are you ready for the new term to start? Can you tell me if the rumors are true about the Hungarian Horntail territories moving further south? How dreadful that would be!"

This chatter went on, mostly coming from the older woman. Katherine desired to leave, but she didn't want to go without saying good-bye to Albus and finishing their conversation. Rejecting his offer or not, he was still a close friend. Instead she sat quietly, offering one-word replies and nods while attempting to stay awake.

Around two hours after the conversation started, the older woman was finally starting to tire. She yawned, "Will you stay for breakfast Albus?"

"No, sorry, I must be getting back," He answered while standing up. He glanced over at Katherine. He knew the topic had not strayed far from either of their minds.

"Oh well, that's a damn shame!" She exclaimed, "Well make sure you stop by more often! Although I suppose with Katherine at Hogwarts, maybe I should come visit you two!" She laughed heartily while the other two just smiled. She wished him a good night and headed back to her bedroom, finally leaving them alone again.

Katherine stood up to say goodbye.

"I beg you to reconsider. It is still your decision, but I would really appreciate it if you did this for me." Before she could answer, he started again, "Just try it for a year. It will be something different. Something important."

Katherine noted his choice of words while nervously straightening the magazines near the couch.

"If you don't like it, you can come back to this." He paused and thought carefully before continuing. He took her hands and looked into her eyes, "The killing is done, Katherine. Come help save some lives."

"Just for a year?" She asked hesitantly.

"Just for a year," He responded with a smile.

"Fine. But you owe me," she answered with a smirk.

"Thank you, I think you will really enjoy yourself." He bent over to kiss her on her forehead and they hugged. "See you soon."

"See you soon," she replied, and with that, he was gone in a flash.

**Circe's school of Witchcraft for Young Ladies  
Motto : Eruditio Creo Equipero (Knowledge Creates Equals)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Katherine had wanted to go to Hogwarts. As a child she showed extraordinary talents – more than the average magical child. Her parents applied to only the most prestigious schools in America. They were not ready to have their child go to a school far away, so schools like Hogwarts or Beauxbatons were not options. But Katherine begged to go to Hogwarts. Her parents ended up lying to her to tell her that she had not been accepted. Instead, Katherine attended Circe's Magical School for Young Women in upstate New York. She excelled in her studies, thoroughly enjoyed Circe's, and soon she had forgotten her desire to attend Hogwarts. After graduating from Circe's, Katherine was accepted into the coveted St. Mungo's two-year graduate program for healers. Following her completion of the program, she was the only student offered a full time position at the hospital. She worked at St. Mungo's for three more years before returning to America.

After giving her two weeks at work, Katherine returned to London for the first time in several years. Her belongings had been sent along to Hogwarts already, but she needed to pick up some things in Diagon Alley before continuing. At one point, she found herself in front of St. Mungo's. Having mixed emotions, she could not bring herself to go in today. She would have liked to see her old friends and coworkers, but she was not ready for the past yet. Instead she continued on to Diagon Alley.

The usual stops were made. First to Gringotts for some wizard money, for she had not carried it around for some time. Then she stopped to get some new robes, for she had thrown hers out after she left the wizarding world. She stopped in Flourish & Blotts, not because she needed anything, but just because she loved books. And as it were, she went in wanting nothing, and left with three new books. One, _Hogwarts: A History_ was purchased in order to educate herself about her new surroundings. Another was titled, _Advanced Potion Making for Healers_, a book she planned on consulting for her new position. And also, _Fundamental Spells for the Beginner Healer_, a book she found extremely helpful during her educational career. A couple more stops were also made in order to pick up parchment, quills, and supplies for the aforementioned potions. She had purposefully left the next task for last, and with a deep sigh, she entered Ollivander's.

The small shop appeared to be empty as she entered, and she walked forward to the counter to ring the bell for service. Soon, an older man with graying hair stepped out from behind a wall while drying his hands on a dirty apron.

He eyed her, and looked a little confused. "A bit old to be buying a wand," he remarked and Katherine wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question.

"I'm afraid my other wand is no longer in working condition." She had burned it, but thought it best not to tell a wand-maker that.

"Ah," He was still examining her. "What type of wand was it?"

"Willow, 10 ¼ inches with unicorn hair. But it doesn't matter."

"But of course it matters," he emphasized, and immediately turned around and started shuffling through wand boxes.

Before he could get too far, Katherine stopped him, "I'm sorry sir, I know you are the best in the world for this sort of thing, but I must assure you, there is no wand in this store, nor a wand you could ever make, that would be suitable for someone like me." And with that, Mr. Ollivander turned around to face the woman, still holding a box in his hands.

"And why would that be?" He curiosity was far more than piqued.

"I do not need a wand to perform magic, but rather, I came in today to find a wand to disguise my talents."

"An unwandium," he whispered beneath his breath.

"Yes," but before she could say anything more, he had turned around and furiously climbed up a ladder. It seemed he knew of the perfect wand for someone who didn't need a wand at all.

It was true, and he soon returned with a new box. "Cherry, 12 inches, and dragon heartstring."

She opened up the box and carefully withdrew the dark wand. Immediately she pointed it towards a stack of books, "_Ascendio_", and immediately the books flew up into the air. "Accio" and they came towards her, and she lowered them onto the counter, "Seems to be right."

"Yes, yes," he spoke, but no real meaning came with the words. He leaned in towards her, "Could you do that again, without the wand?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied, set the wand back down on the counter, and moved the books back to their original position with a flick of her wrist.

He smiled, and almost laughed with excitement. "Good thing your powers are rare," he joked, "you would put me out of business!" and with that he did succumb to laughter.

Katherine smiled and asked, "How much for the wand?"

"No, no, no. The wand is yours, no charge."

"Thank you," She said humbly, "But I insist-"

"No. I will refuse to take your money. Your presence here today is payment enough." And with that he placed the wand back into the box and handed it to her.

With that she blushed. "Thank you again. I hope I can return your favor one day,"

"I would be happy even if you did not,"

"Good day then,"

"Good day."

As she stepped outside, she tucked the precious package into her bag. It was time to go to Hogwarts.

During her five years in London, she had visited Hogwarts often. Albus Dumbledore was a family friend, and she took advantage of any opportunity she had to learn from him. That was how she knew how to find her way to his office this afternoon. At the top of the stairs however, the familiar man did not await her, but rather an older woman, with square glasses and hair tightly pulled back into a bun.

"You must be Katherine Williams," She said coming forward. "Minerva McGonagall, the deputy headmistress. Headmaster Dumbledore wasn't able to be here today, so he asked me to show you around." Her tone was polite overall, but it had a tinge of noticeable annoyance.

"Pleasure to meet you," Katherine replied, and meant it. "Thank you for taking your time to do so,"

"Yes of course. Follow me," She replied and pushed past Katherine to descend the stairs. She walked down the corridor at a quick pace, and Katherine struggled to keep up. She got the feeling that older woman wanted to make sure she was always a step behind her. "Your main classroom will be on the second floor," she explained as they entered the stairwell. "Mind the staircases, they do move."

"Do you teach as well?" Katherine asked as they started up the stairs.

"Yes. Transfiguration."

"Oh, that is my worst subject!" Katherine exclaimed, "When I would come visit Albus, we would work on that the most." Minerva turned around sharply when she called the headmaster by his first name, apparently unaware of their close relationship.

"And what did he teach you?" She asked with genuine curiosity.

"Oh just some vanishing and conjuring spells, and towards the end we were working on getting my animagi license."

With that, Minerva McGonagall stopped immediately in her tracks and turned around, "Your animagi license? I thought transfiguration was your worst subject?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well yes, it just doesn't come to me as naturally as other subjects. But that's why I worked so hard on it. I can't stand not giving 100% towards something, not working towards success. "

McGonagall turned around and continued walking, leaving Katherine feeling as though she had just been punished.

Soon she stopped and entered into a room. "This will be your classroom," she explained as Katherine walked in.

The room was small compared to other classrooms you might find in Hogwarts, but still felt large with its high ceilings. At the front of the room, three large windows looked out onto the forbidden forest outside. Looking from the doorway, there was a small plain desk sitting to the right and a chalk board just to the left of that. While facing the classroom, Katherine observed two platforms on each side, each holding around five desks. The room was bare, the walls were tan bricks, and the furniture all light wood. However, it's small size still made it feel cozy.

"It's perfect," Katherine said still looking around.

McGonagall's bitterness dropped for a moment as she observed the younger woman's appreciation of her surroundings. "The office is just up here," she said, walking to the front of the room where a door was on the right side.

Inside was a small sitting area surrounded by bookshelves that went to the ceiling and a fireplace. A larger desk, a filing cabinet and some smaller bookshelves sat to the side of the sitting area. This room was equally blessed with large windows and had a small bathroom off to the side.

"Albus said you would appreciate the windows," McGonagall said, as Katherine had stopped to look outside.

"Yes, I will admit they are my favorite part." She turned and smiled at McGonagall who actually returned a small smile herself.

"Your bedroom is on the 4th floor," McGonagall explained escorting Katherine back out of the room. They continued back down the hallway, and up the stairs. Towards the end McGonagall asked, "What form do you take? May I ask?"

"Of course," Katherine replied happily, "A bird. A Kestrel to be exact."

McGonagall quietly acknowledged her response. This effort had definitely earned her respect. Soon she pulled out a bunch of keys and opened the door into a bedroom. She handed the key to Katherine, "We do use keys, but I would recommend a charm as well. Our students are very clever."

Katherine smiled, remembering her own experiences at Circe's. She took the key and entered to find another comfortable, cozy sitting area. There was a large sofa, an armchair, bookshelves and a fireplace. A paisley rug covered most of the floor, and a small window was on the opposite side of the fireplace. Melinda sat on the rug by the fireplace and looked up when Katherine came in. She stood up and ran over, wagging her tail, and Katherine bent down to greet her.

"Oh, you have a dog," McGonagall exclaimed as the dog ran over.

"Yes, her name is Melinda," The dog walked over to McGonagall and she pet her delicately. She was more of a cat person.

Katherine continued to look around, and Melinda returned to her spot by the fireplace. The bedroom had a large closet, bed, and also included several windows. Her belongings were here, piled up in the corner. Another small office was just down the hallway and again contained windows, a desk, bookshelves and a filing cabinet. The bathroom included a large tub in the corner.

"Albus again chose it for the windows," McGonagall explained as Katherine returned to the main sitting area.

"It's wonderful," And with that Katherine smiled again.

"Good. I have just a couple more things to show you." And again they went to the stairs and descended all the way to the dungeons. "You will share the potions classroom with Severus Snape, our potions master." She opened the door to a dark room, with high tables around the perimeter. Cauldrons and jars of mysterious contents lay around the room, as well as undeterminable, but obnoxious odor.

"No windows here," Katherine said, as she looked around inside.

"No," McGonagall responded and turned out of the room. Next to it was a small door and McGonagall went to open it, but the door was locked. "This is the supply closet. I'll talk to Severus about getting it unlocked," and with that she turned and headed towards the stairs, clearly eager to leave her current surroundings.

As they were walking up the stairs, McGonagall turned to Katherine, "Let me know if Severus gives you any trouble about sharing the classroom. He wasn't exactly thrilled to hear he would be sharing it this year with a new professor." Katherine nodded in understanding.

Back on the main level McGonagall stopped in front of some large doors, "Behind here is the great hall where our meals and other events occur. The professor's entrance is right back here," she walked down a small corridor that led to a normal sized door. Opening it, Katherine found herself behind the long table at the head of the great hall that would soon be filled with excited students. "Back here are also our staff rooms," she continued down the corridor and led Katherine into a small room.

There was a table with assorted chairs around it and the room was messy with papers, books and magazines. A tin of cookies sat on the table, and coffee mugs were scattered around the room. It looked like a comfortable place for colleagues to chat.

McGonagall headed back out and went into an adjacent room that held a much larger table with chairs. "Here is where we will have our staff meetings." She explained, "There will be one tomorrow night at 7 pm. We will have dinner together and discuss the new year." She turned back around and headed down the corridor back into the main atrium. "We don't eat in the great hall until the students are here, but the house elves know you are here, and will be more than willing to assist you with dinner. If you get lost, the portraits can usually help you along. Or the ghosts, but I wouldn't always believe one named Peeves. Do you have any other questions?"

"No," Katherine responded quickly, barely pausing to think if she had any.

"Well good luck then," McGonagall responded and walked away.

"Thanks," Katherine said, but McGonagall was already too far away to hear.

Katherine returned to her room and spent most of the evening unpacking. She put away her clothes and hung up her new robes. She unloaded all of her books on the bookshelves and put away her quills and parchment in the desk. The house elves brought her a delicious meal and she enjoyed it in front of the fire. After dinner she opened up _Hogwarts: A History_ and began reading. Before long, she knew it should be time to go to bed, but because of the time change, she was still wide-awake. Since she had been cooped up all day, she decided to go out and explore the castle a bit.

She stepped outside her room, mumbled "Lumos" and a blue-yellow orb of light floated above her. Starting down the corridor, she examined the paintings on the wall, some of which greeted her with good evening, and others with not so friendly responses. Soon she came across a winding stairwell that only went upstairs. She climbed it and soon realized that she was entering the astronomy tower. At the top there was a circular room with windows all the way round. Through each window a clear view of the sky was possible – and important feature for an astronomy tower. She put out her light, as the moon was almost full, and it shown through quite brightly. Sighing, she leaned against the windowsill to appreciate the beauty of the night and the grounds around her.

Katherine was not the only one restless in the castle this evening. A young man, in his late 20s, with shoulder length black hair strolled the hallways. He did not particularly sleep well at night and often would take walks throughout the castle. Tonight he found his way to the astronomy tower but just as he reached the top, he stopped immediately in his tracks. Before him, the moon lit up an unknown woman standing by the window. Severus Snape paused for a moment to examine her before turning around. The woman looked to be around his age, with wavy, brown hair past her shoulders, and was dressed casually, wearing a sweater and jeans.

"Don't be shy, come on in," She said, startling the man who thought he had been unnoticed. "I hope I haven't taken your favorite spot to pass the time."

He slowly entered the room and she remained turned away from him. "No. Who are you?"

She turned around and smiled. Before him was a woman who wasn't old or ugly, beautiful or young. Her eyes were crystal blue and her smile was warm, but otherwise her features were plain and unremarkable. "Katherine Williams, I am the professor for the new healing program."

"Ah." He replied tersely, still wanting to know more, but not wanting to show more interest.

"And you are…" she leaded the question while he was not willing to initiate the information.

"Severus Snape, I teach potions."

"Oh, excellent! It's a pleasure to meet you," Katherine said and stepped over to shake his hand. "We're going to be sharing a classroom, I hear."

"Yes,"

"Well don't worry, I will make sure to leave it just the way I found it," She smiled again and after a few moments of silence she turned back to the window. "Beautiful night."

What followed was a moment of awkward silence. He wanted to leave and didn't feel like talking much tonight, but wasn't sure on how to leave. And her last statement was perhaps begging for a response.

She turned back around and the young man was still standing there with a blank look on his face. He looked back, still not sure what to say. Katherine didn't know what to say either. She was trying to start a conversation, but couldn't think of anything to say. Finally, her annoyance of the situation overtook her politeness and she spoke, "Please, don't let me keep you. If you want to talk, please stay, but don't just stand there behind me. You are making me nervous."

Finally, an out. "Good night then," he said and turned and started back down the stairs.

She quickly turned and headed to the stairs, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude," she started, but he was already well on his way. Katherine sighed and turned back to the windows. So far, the only two people she had met here didn't seem to like her very much.

Meanwhile, as Severus Snape continued on his walk, he couldn't seem to get this new acquaintance off his mind.

After a few more moments, Katherine decided to go back to her room and try to go to bed. When she returned, Melinda barely lifted her head to see who had entered before returning to sleep. The time change isn't affecting her, thought Katherine. She sat back on the couch and picked her book back up, but within minutes she was restless again. Maybe just a glass of wine, thought Katherine, just to help me sleep. She got up, found an old coffee mug to fill with some wine, and returned to the couch. The wine worked, and soon after she finished drinking, Katherine had fallen asleep on the couch.


End file.
